IT TAKES A

VIL LAGE

IMPROVING SCHOOL CLIMATE AND STUDENT

DISCIPLINE IN NEW HAVEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
September 2015

A safe, secure environment is a threshold

issue for any school. It is indispensable
if teachers and students are to focus on
what is importantteaching and learning.
RANDI WEINGARTEN, America n Fe de rat ion of Tea c he rs P re s ide nt

200 9 Uni ted Federat ion of Tea c hers S pe e c h in New York , NY

CO N TE N TS

Letter

Introduction

District Systems

Support for Teachers

Support for Students

10

Support for Parents

13

Conclusion

15

Teacher Action Team Process & Methodology

16

Notes

17

Teacher Action Team Acknowledgments

18

L E TT E R

TO OUR STUDENTS

As your teachers, we want the best for you, but the unfortunate truth is that the education system
does not always meet your needs. Currently, too many of you are in an environment that does not
prepare you for college, a career, and life: a reality connected to our districts insufficient policies
around school climate and student discipline.
A wide body of research links disciplinary removals to higher rates of dropping out of school and
increased contact with the juvenile justice system.1,2 So, first, we acknowledge that discipline removals
come at a serious cost to your academic and lifetime achievements.
Its hard for us, as your teachers, to admit that we contribute to this alarming problem. When you
dont understand the material and then act out, we too often respond by removing you from class.
When you dont show up for class, we react by suspending you-which leads you to miss even more
learning time! We know this does not make sense. We know we are sentencing you to fall further
behind and to feel less connected to your school, teachers, and education.
Second, we also recognize that our students of color are disproportionately suspended and expelled
when compared to white students. National data show that, when compared to white students, Latino
and Black students are significantly more likely to be suspended.3 And, unfortunately, these same
disparities exist here in Connecticut (see footnote).
Weve known this for decades and yet havent addressed the problem. Our district can no longer
exist as a reactionary institution. For you, our students, we must do better. We must create healthy,
welcoming, and engaging school climates so that you are empowered to drive your own learning
and take positive risks; and we must ensure our discipline system treats the root causes of misbehavior
rather than perpetuating underlying problems through punitive reactions.
Over the course of several months, we examined how we currently respond to discipline issues and
what it means to be suspended or expelled from our system. We read hundreds of pages of research,
surveyed our colleagues, and talked to you, our students. We debated and finally came to consensus
around how we could improve school culture and discipline in our diverse schools.
We are your teachers, and we want all of you to succeed. Together, lets build an environment that
supports you in doing so.
Your teachers,
2015 Educators 4 Excellence-Connecticut Teacher Action Team on School Climate

During the 2012-13 school year, in New Haven, a school district that serves predominantly Black and Latino
students, the district handed out nearly 2,000 out-of-school suspensions in a population of approximately
21,183 students. A few miles away in Madison, a predominately white school district, the district handed out
only 42 out-of-school suspensions in a population of approximately 3,300 students.4 For incidents related
to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, students in Madison were suspended an average of 8 days, while students
in New Haven were suspended an average of 33 days. For more subjective incidents like school policy
violations, students in Madison were suspended an average of 1.5 days, while students in New Haven were
suspended for an average of 2.5 days.5
1

A New Approach to Discipline

OLD APPROACH

Student shows up to school

upset either because of
bullying on the bus or
challenges at home. His/her
negative feelings from the
morning carry over into the
classroom, and the student
refuses to do his/her classwork.

His/her teacher confronts and

scolds him/her in front of the
class and the student "talks
back." The teacher further
reprimands the student and
the situation escalates into
a verbal argument.

The teacher calls security to

remove the student from class
and he/she spends the rest of
the day in in-school
suspension with minimal
classwork available for
him/her.

When a similar situation

arises the following week, the
student is suspended from
school for a few days and sent
home without all of his/her
make-up work because there
is inadequate time for his/her
teacher to prepare materials
for his/her absence.

The teacher, who has been

trained in responding
constructively to students'
emotional needs, speaks
with the student individually
during a quiet moment to
better understand the
student's emotions and
avoid escalating his/her
response by discussing his
refusal publicly.

Although the student first

"talks back" to the teacher's
redirection and gently probing
questions, the teacher changes
the subject to build rapport
before returning to the matter
at hand.

The student calms down,

remains in class, and
completes most of his/her
work. After the incident and
the successful completion of
coursework, the teacher and
student discuss what
happened under calmer
circumstances, the student
acknowledges what caused
his/her challenging emotions,
and he/she apologizes to
repair the relationship.

NEW APPROACH

Under the same circumstances,

a student shows up to school
"off." His/her negative feelings
carry over into the classroom,
and the student refuses to do
his/her classwork.

I N T R ODUC TI O N
School climate has recently received increased attention from educators, civil
rights advocates, and policymakers across the nation. At the federal level, the
United States Department of Education awarded nearly $40 million in grants
to measure school safety in 2010, ushering in innovations and interventions
in the highest need states in our country.6 At the state level, in the most recent
legislative session, Connecticut legislators banned suspensions for students
under eight years old.7 Finally, at the local level, our district and union in New
Haven have pushed this issue to the forefront by piloting restorative justice
practices, expanding the Youth Stat programa, and emphasizing success for
all students in the School Change 2.0 initiative.8,9
As teachers, we are encouraged by the steps being taken by our district,
which have led to a reduction in the use of exclusionary discipline practices
since the 2008-09 school year.10 However, there is still significant room
for improvement.
Studies confirm what we know by experience: school climateor a students
learning environmenthas a dramatic impact on student academic
performance.11 Research also confirms that students need to be in school to
learn;12 yet exclusionary practices like suspensions, expulsions, and in-school
arrests occur all too often across the district. In a single school year, 2,762
unique disciplinary incidents were reported in New Haven, which resulted in
students spending an alarming 15,145 days out of the classroom.13
We therefore call on New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) to take proactive
measures to develop positive and welcoming school climates, to meet
students socio-emotional needs, and to help prevent issues of student
misbehavior. We also urge the district to continue to promote restorative
practices to ensure educators are equipped to react to student misbehavior
in a way that repairs relationships, treats the root cause of misbehavior, and
discourages recurrence.
With these recommendations, we hope to add to the growing dialogue about
school climate and discipline and to be part of the village that works together
to ensure that the conversation translates into actual improvements for
educators, parents, and students.

a
Youth Stat is a citywide effort to share information about at-risk kids across city departments. Through data sharing,Youth Stat aims to identify at-risk
kids, and then intervenes to reengage students in schooling and/or career opportunities and internships.

D IS T R ICT SYS TE M S
Recently the district and state have taken significant steps to reduce suspensions,
expulsions, and other student removals from the classroom for disciplinary reasons.
While these reforms are an important first step, we must also ensure that all efforts
are coordinated. Research shows that strategies to reduce student removals should be
incorporated into a comprehensive plan to create healthy school climates if they are
to be successful.14

CHALLENGE
Though the district has identified school
climate as a priority, systems to support
and improve school climate are not yet
fully integrated into all district practices.

SOLUTION
The district should foster healthy school
climates and a proactive and supportive
approach to school discipline.

Distinct School Climate Vision

The district has developed an overarching vision within
the School Change and School Change 2.0 Initiatives.b
However, the district should define and set a distinct
vision specifically for school climate in New Haven.
A clear, actionable vision statement would be a powerful
tool for the district to shape values and practice at the
school level. By establishing clear priorities, an effective
vision statement would enable schools to design and
implement aligned initiatives aimed at reducing student
removals and improving school culture.
A vision for healthy school climate should be developed
by the district in collaboration with teachers and parents.
We believe the districts vision should:
Be restorative, not punitive, by focusing on
preventing the recurrence of misbehavior rather
than punishing misbehavior.
Be student-focused and respect the rights of
individual students.
Respect learning time and emphasize keeping
students in class whenever possible.
Encourage the development of respectful,
trusting, and caring relationships between
students and adults.

Accountability System that

Incorporates School Climate
and Discipline
If we truly wish to create a proactive and supportive
approach to school discipline, the district must hold
schools accountable to making improvements in this area.
The district currently uses its annual School Learning
Environment Survey to help inform the school tiering
process in the districts accountability system. We applaud
the districts efforts to call attention to school discipline
and climate, but think the district should go further.
Currently, school climate and discipline are optional
components of principal and school evaluations. To show
that creating a positive school climate is a priority for the
district and to encourage school-based change, school
climate and discipline performance indicators should be
a required component of a schools annual evaluation.
We propose that schools be responsible for both qualitative
results from staff, student, and parent School Learning
Environment Surveys, as well as quantitative student
disciplinary data including reductions in suspensions
and expulsions.
Accountability should also include positive recognition.
The district should use school discipline data and School
Learning Environment survey data to identify bright spots:
schools demonstrating either high overall performance or
significant improvement in school climate and discipline.
Bright spot schools should be recognized for their success
and given a platform to share their achievements and
best practices.
By focusing our school evaluation system not solely on the
academic success of students, but also on the environment
that fosters that success, we have an opportunity to
demonstrate our commitment to holistic education.

The School Change Initiative and School Change 2.0 Initiative are a collaborative school reform project, spearheaded by the New Haven
superintendent, Board of Education, mayor, and local teachers union.

DEFINITION OF SCHOOL CLIMATE PER

CONNECTICUT PUBLIC ACT 11-232
The quality and character of school life with a particular focus on the quality of relationships
within the school community between and among students and adults.15

Additional In-School Supports

Accountability is only an effective strategy for change if it
is matched with high-quality support. The district should
also invest in building the capacity of teachers and other
school-level staff to develop positive school climates.
With the passage of Connecticut Public Act 11-232, the
district was required to staff a safe school climate specialist
in each school.16
However, not all schools in New Haven have a dedicated
safe school climate specialist or similar position; and,
for schools that do, this position is not consistently used
to support the development of a strong climate at the
building and classroom levels.

To achieve this, the district must ensure that every school

has a safe school climate specialist or similar position, and
make sure teachers are aware of who serves in this capacity
in their schools. One strategy would be to empower
teacher leaders to serve in this role, in a structure similar to
the district's Super Tutor and Teacher Facilitator programs.c
As outlined in Public Act 11-232, safe school climate
specialists are focused predominantly on reacting to and
documenting incidents of bullying in schools. We believe
there is an incredible opportunity to truly transform
school climate if this role is expanded. Given this, we
also recommend the district expand the scope of support
provided by safe school climate specialists.

We believe this position has the potential to build schoollevel capacity for developing positive school climates.

The current systems in place do not support and encourage educators and
parents to work together efficiently and effectively. Students should not slip
through the cracks, but be caught by the safety net that is provided by faculty,
staff, administrators, and parents.
Keeler Otero, Middle School Science Teacher, Christopher Columbus Family Academy

c
Super Tutors and Teacher Facilitators are relatively new positions in which teachers, if accepted to the program, are paid a stipend for taking on
additional responsibilities at their schools. Specifically, Super Tutors conduct after school tutoring for students in need, and Teacher Facilitators run
professional development sessions for their colleagues. Super Tutor and Teacher Facilitator stipends are currently covered with a grant from the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation.

6
8

S UPPORT FO R TE AC H E R S
Research consistently shows that teachers are the most critical school-based factor in a
students academic growth.17 Not surprisingly, teachers are also a vital part of fostering
a positive school climate.18 However, as teachers, we do not receive sufficient training
and support focused on school climate and discipline. Eighty-two percent of educators
we surveyed reported that they do not receive adequate training to effectively address
student discipline and school culture issues in their classrooms. To better support
teachers, the district should redesign its professional development system to make
discipline and climate a priority.

CHALLENGE
Teachers are not fully equipped with the
tools they need to effectively prevent and
respond to student misbehavior.

SOLUTION
The district should redesign its
professional development and support
system to make healthy school climate
and restorative discipline a priority.

Professional Development
The district should not focus solely on developing teachers
in academic areas. Developing teachers skills in responding
to student misbehavior and creating positive classroom
climates is equally important, because, as research confirms,
a positive learning environment is connected to positive
academic growth for students.19
Given this, we recommend that the district provide
teachers with high-quality professional development in
the following areas: building relationships with students,
creating a positive learning environment, and responding
with restorative practices.
Strong teacher-student
relationships are essential to meet the academic, social
and emotional needs of students. Furthermore, research has
shown that teachers who have built strong relationships
with their students are able to limit the impact of their
own biases. Because of their strong relationships with
students, these teachers are also less likely to make unfair
judgments about their students misbehavior.20 Specifically,
we need training on building strong peer-to-peer and
teacher-to-student relationships. According to the
American Psychological Association, improving student
relationships with their teachers and peers can have
positive and long-lasting impacts on students academic
and social development.21
P O SI TI VE R ELAT I O N S HI PS :

CULT UR ALLY R ES PO N S I VE LEA R N I N G EN V I R ON M E N T:

Learning environments, or the culture in which teaching

and learning occur, matter. One study of New York City
middle school students found that variations in classroom
environment account for up to one-third of the gap in test
scores and discipline outcomes between students of

color and their white peers.22 To create a positive learning

environment, students must feel safe and engaged in
their classrooms.23
For students, a key driver of feeling safe and engaged,
particularly in urban schools, is their teachers cultural
competency, or the set of skills which enable educators to
work more effectively with students from different cultures
than their own.24 To ensure all New Haven students learn
in an environment that will nourish their development,
the district should not only provide us with trainings on
classroom procedures and rules, but also on culturally
responsive instruction to encourage us to recognize and
reflect on our biases and how these biases affect our
students ability to access learning.
Because we spend every day in
the classroom with students, teachers have a direct impact
on disciplinary removals. As many education scholars have
found, improving school discipline and climate requires
more than changing student behavior; we also have to
focus on teacher behavior.25 During the 2012-13 school
year, only half of the districts discipline incidents qualified
as serious incidents as defined by the state: 40 percent
of the incidents were school policy violations such as
disrespect, obscene language, or disruptive behavior.
As teachers, we know many of these incidents could be
avoided but too often we do not know what specific
strategies, other than removal from the classroom, we can
use. To avoid unnecessary removals, we need training to
respond to misbehavior effectively, especially how to
de-escalate situations and to repair relationships using
restorative practices.

R E S TOR ATI V E R E S P ON S E :

We need to cultivate a culture of kindness and respect

in all human interaction within a school community.
Michael Kuszpa
Middle School Science Teacher, L.W. Beecher Museum Magnet School

POLLS
According to our survey of over 100 New Haven Public Schools teachers,
According to our survey of over 100 teachers, the most
the most immediate supports needed include:

immediate supports needed include:

100%
80%

73% 73%

91%

99%

87%

60%
40%
20%
0
Identifying root
causes for student
misbehavior

Interacting with
students in culturally
responsive ways

Empowering teachers
to address student
misbehavior

Teaching students
character skills
like respect
and perseverance

Developing instructional
materials and lessons that
reflect the culture and
ethnicity of our students

New Haven educators were asked what the district should do to develop
positive school climates and a school discipline system that treats the
root cause of student misbehavior.

93%

Agree that teachers should

be provided trainings on
culturally responsive ways
to interact with students.

99%

Agree that the district

should prioritize teaching

students character skills like
respect and perseverance.

93%

Agree that the district

should prioritize using
instructional materials
that reflect the culture and
ethnicity of its students.

Source: Survey of New Haven educators (n=123) Educators 4 Excellence, May 2015
9

S UP P ORT F O R S T U D E N T S
In collaboration with the city, New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Garth Harries
is championing work to meet student needs with the Youth Stat program, which
provides intensive support to re-invest the most disengaged, at-risk students. We
believe this work is important, and also believe our district must reach all students,
and must reach them earlier.
When students needs are unmet there is increased misbehavior, more removals from
class, greater isolation, and increased gaps in academic learning. To break this cycle,
the district should invest in student empowerment programs, socio-emotional skill
development, and celebrations of student success on discipline and climate.

CHALLENGE
Unmet student needs create a
cycle of student misbehavior
and discipline removals, which
leave students feeling unwelcome,
isolated, and academically behind.

SOLUTION
The district should invest in student
empowerment programs, additional
student supports, and opportunities
to celebrate success on school
discipline and climate.

10

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT-RUN
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
S TU D EN T- R U N MED IAT I O N : A program in which student leaders

act as mediators to help other students resolve disputes in a

confidential process. Student-run mediation helps students in
conflict resolve their disputes and create their own solutions
using shared problem-solving. Student-run mediation empowers
students to lead conflict resolution at their schools, providing
students a sense of ownership on climate and discipline in
their schools.32
OLD ER B U D D IES OR PE E R M E N T O R S : A program in which older

students befriend and mentor younger students in a structured

environment to provide a positive behavioral role model for
students in need. There is a growing body of evidence to support
positive peer mentoring effects for both the mentee and mentor.
For mentees, research has found mentoring to provide increased
connection to school and peers, improvements in social skills,
and fewer behavioral incidents. For mentors, research has found
mentoring to provide improvements in empathy among students
and improved moral reasoning.33

11

DEFINITION OF SOCIO-EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Socio-emotional learning is the education program that focuses on developing the skills, behaviors,
and attitudes students need to effectively manage their cognitive and social behavior.26

Student Empowerment
To break the cycle of unmet student needs and disciplinary
removals from class, we must ensure students are engaged
as part of the solution. A strong school climate is not
created solely by teachers and administrators; it includes
empowered students who help drive change in their
schools. Providing students an opportunity to accept
increased responsibility for community building will
elevate students as true partners in our effort to create
positive school climates. At the district level, this may
include the districts pilot of restorative practices, which
kicked off in the 2015-16 school year. At the school
level, this may include student-run conflict resolution or
mediator programs, and older buddy or peer mentors, in
addition to other student leadership opportunities.

Socio-Emotional Skill
Development
Students need explicit teaching and re-teaching of socioemotional skills so they can be productive members of a
community. In New Haven, we dedicate explicit time and
resources to the teaching and reinforcement of academic
skills, but we do not commit similar resources to the
teaching and reinforcement of socio-emotional skills.
Our lack of prioritization of socio-emotional education in
our schools has serious consequences for our students and
school climates.
Socio-emotional learning can be a critical lever for
improving student behavioral outcomes and overall
school performance.27 Schools that explicitly teach social
and emotional learning skills report fewer disciplinary
incidents, including fewer students exhibiting aggressive
behavior.28 In one district we studied, the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District, only five years after its
socio-emotional learning initiative launched, the district
saw dramatic and positive behavioral outcomes for
students, including a significant reduction in the number
of suspend-able behavior incidents.29

12

Too often, the districts socio-emotional learning

programsincluding Comer and Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports (PBIS)dare stand-alone
initiatives that are not fully integrated in the schools
priorities. We recommend the district develop a socioemotional learning program that is embedded in the
districts curriculum and emphasized in the districts
overarching educational goals.
In our research, we found that school climate cannot be
simply another initiative in an already overloaded system
of reforms. To ensure impact, we found school climate
must be embedded in all school and district activities.30
For example, at one district we studied in Austin, Texas,
the district provided guidance for schools to create a
unified approach to socio-emotional learning. With
district support, once a month, principals led teachers to
share socio-emotional learning best practices, develop
schoolwide socio-emotional initiatives, and identify
academic areas in which socio-emotional learning could
be integrated into existing lessons. After only two years of
implementation, teachers and administrators saw a palpable
change in school climate: students became more engaged
in class, discipline referrals declined, and interactions
between students and adults improved.31

Recognition of Success
Our school climates need to emphasize the positive.
The district should develop a citywide school climate
incentive program to recognize and celebrate students
who have either contributed to the development of a
positive school climate or have made significant progress
behaviorally. Recognition should include a scaled set of
awards to recognize differentiated levels of success for
students. On the more inclusive end, the district could
work to publish students names in the newspaper as
positive contributors to school climate similar to the
honor roll or perfect attendance lists currently published.
On the more selective end, the district could create an
annual student citizenship award, to recognize students
who dramatically shape their schools positive climate.

S UPPORT FO R PA R E N T S
Research confirms what we already know: when parents and teachers work together,
students succeed.34 However, while the district has prioritized parent participation
with programs like Parent University and the Citywide Parent Leadership Teame,
parent engagement has not always trickled down into schools to improve schooland-home relationships.

Parent University is a free Parent Support Network for all New Haven Public School parents. A critical component of New Havens School Change
Initiative, Parent University aims to give parents the tools they need to help their children succeed in school and in life. The Citywide Parent Leadership
Team consists of parents from each school to provide input to the district. It is an open group and encourages participation from parents interested in
becoming more involved with both individual schools and the school district.

CHALLENGE
Insufficient collaboration and
communication systems discourage
positive school-and-home partnerships.

SOLUTION
The district should develop systems to
better facilitate communication between
parents and teachers, and to promote deep
parent engagement and welcoming school
environments.

13

Two-way Communication
To deepen engagement, schools should first develop
two-way communication pathways between schools and
parents. Two-way communication would allow teachers
to share information with parents on students behavior
in school, and also allow parents to proactively share
information with teachers about stressors or life changes
for students.
For this to happen, the district must support schools to
develop flexible communication avenues with parents.
The district should provide more than one parent-teacher
conference time and offer conference meetings at flexible
times. Our most recent district calendar includes additional
time for teachers to hold parent-teacher conferences.35
The district should capitalize on this existing structure and
build in both daytime and evening conference times to
make it more convenient for parents to attend.
The district should also create a unified database of
family contact information and publish teacher contact
information so that points of contact are easily accessible to
parents and teachers. To ensure full and accurate access to
family contact information, contact information ought to
be regularly updated across schools and linked to

siblings across the district. In our efforts to promote regular

communication between home and school, protecting the
privacy and security of student and teacher data is crucial.
In this undertaking, the district should take every effort to
ensure all contact information is kept confidential
and secure.

Parent Engagement
True parental engagement involves more than seeking
parental support to manage student misbehavior; schools
should also involve parents in school planning discussions
about discipline and climate.
This deeper level of engagement must start with educators.
To facilitate stronger parent involvement, we should
better utilize our existing parent engagement structures
like School Planning and Management Teamsf (SPMT)
as avenues to engage parents as decision-makers. While
implementation of SPMTs has been inconsistent across
the district, we believe these structures have the potential
to dramatically improve the partnership between parents
and schools, especially on issues of school discipline
and climate.

School Planning Management Teams develop a comprehensive school plan, set academic, social and community relations goals, and coordinate all school
activities, including staff development programs.
f

TYPES
OFPARENT
PARENTINVOLVEMENT
INVOLVEMENT
TYPE OF
According
According to
to education
education scholar
scholar Joyce
Joyce Epstein,
Epstein, the
the six
six types
types of
of parent
parent involvement
involvement include:
are:
1. PAREN TIN G : Helping parents establish home environments to support learning.

to support learning.

2. COMM U N IC ATIN G : Developing effective two-way, frequent, systematic communication

2. between
COMM U Nhome
IC ATIN
G : school
Developing
two-way, and
frequent,
systematic
communication
between
and
abouteffective
school programs
students
progress
and challenges.

home and school about school programs and students progress and challenges.
3. V OL UN TEER IN G : Recruiting, training, and organizing parents to equip them with the skills
3. they
V OL UN
TEER
G : Recruiting,
training,
and organizing
parents to equip them with the skills they
need
toIN
support
the school's
programs
and priorities.

need to support the school's programs and priorities.

4. L EARN IN G AT HOME: Ensuring parents have the information needed to create continued
4. aligned
L EARN INenvironments
G AT HOME: Ensuring
at home. parents have the information needed to create continued aligned

environments at home.

5. DECIS ION - MA K IN G : Empowering parents to participate in school governance and

5. advocacy
DECIS ION activities.
MA K IN G : Empowering parents to participate in school governance and advocacy

activities.

6. COL L A B OR ATIN G WITH THE C OM M U N I T Y: Empowering parents to collaborate with business

36
6. and
COL Llocal
A B OR
ATIN G WITH
THE C OM M Uto
N Isupport
T Y: Empowering
parents to
collaborate
with business
and
community
organizations
student learning
and
school success.

14

local community organizations to support student learning and school success.36

Specifically we recommend the district require schools to use

SPMTs to empower parents to:
Help develop and implement school-level plans for school
climate and discipline.
Collaboratively set goals for improved school climate and
discipline outcomes.
Review school-level discipline data and School Learning
Environment survey data to ensure school accountability
toward goals to reduce disciplinary removals and increase
positive school climate.

CO N CLU S I O N
As teachers, we entered the profession and go to
work every day with a single goal in mind: ensuring
the long-term success and happiness of the students
we serve. We know that, to accomplish this, our
schools must meet both the academic and behavioral
needs of our students. Our district must take proactive
measures to create a healthy, welcoming, and
engaging school climate, and identify alternative
school discipline structures to treat the root causes for
student misbehavior. With our recommendations
district systems, support for teachers, support for
students, and support for parentswe recognize that
we all have a role to play in improving school climate
and discipline in New Haven. As members of our
village, we, the E4E-Connecticut Teacher Action Team
on School Climate and Discipline, eagerly begin this
work, in partnership with our school communities, to
ensure the best for our students.
15

TEACHER ACTION TEAM

PROCESS & METHODOLOGY
I D EN T I F YI N G E4 ES POL I C Y F OC U S : To

identify this policy issue,

Educators 4 Excellence-Connecticut held more than 120 focus groups,
school visits, and individual conversations with New Haven educators
and stakeholders. We also surveyed over 100 New Haven Public School
educators. Through this process, school climate and discipline emerged
as one of the most critical issues, with 70 percent of teacher survey
respondents ranking the issue as one of the two most important and
impactful issues for change.
The Teacher Action Team on School Climate
met for six weeks to review research on school climate and discipline. In
our process, we considered current problems, root causes, barriers, and
potential solutions. As we explored solutions, we studied programs and
ideas from across the nation, as well as promising policies and practices
right here in New Haven. We used this knowledge, along with our
collective experiences as New Haven teachers, to draft recommendations
outlined in this paper.

R EVI EWI N G R ES EA R CH:

Action Team members conducted

interviews with our teacher colleagues, district leaders, and NHPS parents
to gather critical information about school climate and discipline policies
and practices. When developing our policy recommendations, Teacher
Action Team members held focus groups, surveyed colleagues, and
participated in a panel discussion with parent leaders in the district.

CO N D UCT I N G LO CA L RE S E AR C H :

16

NOTE S
1
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field to keep students engaged in school and out
of the juvenile justice system. Retrieved from
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3
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Effective in the Schools? American Psychologist,
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4
Connecticut Department of Education. (2014).
Discipline Data: District Aggregate-Number of
Days Sanctioned for Out-of-School Suspensions
(Data file). Retrieved from http://sdeportal.
ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/CedarHome.aspx?
5
Connecticut Department of Education. (2014).
Discipline Data: District Aggregate-Level Number
of Days Sanctioned by Primary Incident Category
(Data file). Retrieved from http://sdeportal.
ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/CedarHome.aspx?
6
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U.S. Department of Education Awards $38.8
Million in Safe and Supportive School Grants
[Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.
ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-awards-388-million-safe-and-supportiveschool-grants
7
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Bill That Bans Out-Of-School Suspension, Expulsion of Young Children. The Hartford Courant.
Retrieved from http://www.courant.com/news/
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8
Chinapen, R. (2014, April 14). New Haven
Launches Youth Stat Program to Connect To AtRisk Kids. The New Haven Register. Retrieved
from http://www.nhregister.com/government-and-politics/20140417/new-haven-launches-youth-stat-program-to-connect-to-at-risk-kids
9
Lips, E. (2015). New Haven School Change
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10
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11
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policy, practice guidelines and teacher education
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Balfanz, R., & Byrnes,V. (2012). The Importance

of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in

the Nation's Public Schools.
13
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of Days Sanctioned by Primary Incident Category
(Data file). Retrieved from http://sdeportal.
ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/CedarHome.aspx?
14
The Council of State Governments. The School
Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the
field to keep students engaged in school and out
of the juvenile justice system. Retrieved from
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15
An Act Concerning the Strengthening of
School Bullying Laws, Conn. Gen. Stat. 11-232
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16
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School Bullying Laws, Conn. Gen. Stat. 11-232
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17
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18
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reports-factsheets/climatechange4/
19
The Council of State Governments. The School
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field to keep students engaged in school and out
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http://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/school-discipline-consensus-report/
20
Weinstein, C., Curran, M., Tomlinson-Clarke, S.
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Awareness Into Action. Theory Into Practice,Vol.
42, No. 4, pp. 269-276
21
American Psychological Association Zero
Tolerance Task Force. Are Zero Tolerance Policies
Effective in the Schools. American Psychologist,
Vol. 63, No. 9, pp. 852-862
22
Alliance for Excellent Education. Climate
Change: Improving school climate by supporting
great teaching. Retrieved from http://all4ed.org/
reports-factsheets/climatechange4/
23
The Council of State Governments. The School
Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the
field to keep students engaged in school and out
of the juvenile justice system. Retrieved from
http://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/school-discipline-consensus-report/
24
Weinstein, C., Curran, M., Tomlinson-Clarke, S.
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42, No. 4, pp. 269-276
25
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Civic Enterprises, HART Research Associates,

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
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the-missing-piece
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The Whole Child: Instructional practices that
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The Whole Child: Instructional practices that
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evaluation frameworks. Retrieved from http://
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29
Civic Enterprises, HART Research Associates,
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the-missing-piece
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Learning. The Missing Piece: A national teacher
survey on how social and emotional learning
can empower children and transform schools.
Retrieved from http://www.casel.org/library/
the-missing-piece
32
The Council of State Governments. The School
Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the
field to keep students engaged in school and out
of the juvenile justice system. Retrieved from
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33
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Delta Kappan,Vol. 76, No. 9, pp. 701-712
26

17

THE 2015 EDUCATORS 4 EXCELLENCE-CONNECTICUT

NEW HAVEN TEACHER ACTION TEAM ON SCHOOL
CLIMATE AND DISCIPLINE
Caroline Apgar
Middle School English Language Arts Teacher and Restorative
Practices Representative at Mauro-Sheridan Science, Technology,
and Communications Interdistrict Magnet School
Donna Bartling
Middle School Mathematics Teacher at L.W. Beecher
Museum School
Eva Landau
Elementary School Teacher and Student Support Facilitator at
Mauro-Sheridan Science, Technology, and Communications
Interdistrict Magnet School

Keeler Otero
Middle School Science Teacher at Christopher Columbus
Family Academy
Matt Erickson
Mentor Science Teacher for New Haven Public Schools
Saad Qureshi
High School Science Teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy
Sandra Luu
Talented and Gifted Teacher for New Haven Public Schools
Zach Kafoglis
Elementary Bilingual Education Teacher at Fair Haven School

This report, graphics, and figures were designed by Kristin Redman,Tracy Harris, and Tessa Gibbs at Cricket Design Works in
Madison,Wisconsin.
The text face is Bembo Regular, designed by Stanley Morison in 1929.The typefaces used for headers, subheaders, figures, and pull quotes
are Futura Bold, designed by Paul Renner, and Vitesse, designed by Hoefler & Co.

For far too long, education policy has been created

without a critical voice at the tablethe voice of classroom teachers.

Educators 4 Excellence (E4E), a teacher-led organization, is
changing this dynamic by placing the voices of teachers at the
forefront of the conversations that shape our classrooms and careers.
E4E has a quickly growing national network of educators united by
our Declaration of Teachers Principles and Beliefs. E4E members
can learn about education policy and research, network with likeminded peers and policymakers, and take action by advocating
for teacher-created policies that lift student achievement and the
teaching profession.
Learn more at Educators4Excellence.org.